Hindu Americans Praise Indian Court for Taking Positive Step Towards Justice for the Victims of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots

Washington DC (November 21, 2018) — Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) praised an Indian court for convicting and sentencing two men, Yashpal Singh and Naresh Sherawat, to death and life in prison respectively on charges of murder and rioting in the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom in New Delhi, India.

The violence led to the deaths of approximately 3,000 Sikhs and were orchestrated by leaders and party workers of the Indian National Congress, following the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards in 1984. Prime Minister Gandhi’s murder came in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar, an Indian army operation aimed at flushing out Sikh separatists, who had occupied the Golden Temple (Sikhism’s most sacred shrine) in the midst of a violent campaign to create a separate Sikh state of Khalistan.

“The recent verdict is a small step in the right direction towards providing justice to the victims of the horrific anti-Sikh riots of 1984,” said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF Managing Director. “Only with the continued investigation and conviction of all those responsible for the violence, including all political leaders, can the Sikh community heal and India move past this tragic and dark period in its history.”

The verdict came after a special probe and commission were established by the current Indian Government in 2015 to bring justice for the riot victims and their families.